Whether you are camping for the first time or you find yourself stranded somewhere due to a natural disaster or zombie apocalypse, it is important to know how to purify water in the wild if you don't have immediate access to store-bought water bottles.

The most reliable method for purifying water is to boil it for 5 to 20 minutes. For other convenient methods, you can carry water purification tablets in your backpack or invest in a commercial water filter, which you would use after drawing water from a clean source—ideally clear, flowing water from a natural spring or stream that is not anywhere near manmade structures.